The Best Greek Beaches
Greek Beaches Are among the Best in the World
It’s true, at least according to TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards for 2023, just announced. Four Greek beaches make the list of 25 top European beaches, and two make the list of the world’s 25 best beaches.
The two very best are both on Crete, with the highest rated being Elafonisi Beach in the island’s southwest corner, which won’t surprise anyone who has been there.
The second-best beach on Crete, and in Greece, was the Balos Lagoon on the northwest coast. I’m pleased to say we’ve visited those and already included them on our own list of the Best Beaches on Crete.
The other two Greek beaches that made the Europe list but not the world list were Kalamaki Beach in the Bay of Laganas on Zakynthos, and Sarakiniko Beach on Milos. We’ll have to take their word for the Milos beach as that’s one we haven’t yet visited (makes mental note), but we know how lovely the Bay of Laganas is. After all, it’s where the sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs in the super-soft sand.
We’ve covered Greek beaches a lot on our website, including on these pages:
Six of the Best Beaches in Greece
And yes, Elafonisi is on that last list!
In the News This Week
Thessaloniki has been in the news this week with the announcement that the planned Holocaust Museum of Greece has been given the go-ahead. Building should start by the end of this year, with the museum on schedule to open in 2026. It’s been a controversial topic, and required a presidential decree to allow for the construction of the museum. It’s being built near the city’s old train station, from where 95% of Thessaloniki’s Jewish population was sent to the concentration camps. It’s certainly a striking-looking building, as you can see from this artist’s impression:
You can read more on the museum’s website, and we’ll be sure to add it to our page on the Museums of Thessaloniki as soon as it opens.
Day Trips from Thessaloniki
If you do find yourself in Thessaloniki, a city we’ve raved about in earlier magazines, take a look at this page on one of our own favourite Greek websites, Greece-Is.com:
Hit the Road: 4 Exciting Excursions from Thessaloniki
They include visits to Pella, Vergina, and the lovely Halkidiki peninsula.
Arriving on Time
Greeks have a (deserved) reputation for not arriving on time. It’s just part of the culture. Thankfully this doesn’t apply to Athens International Airport! In fact during one week in February it was the most punctual airport in Europe, with 90 percent punctuality for arrivals and 89 percent for departures.
If you need to stay near the airport any time, or even at the airport, read our page on Athens Airport Hotels.
Our Greece Travel Secrets Blog
That’s all for this issue, but if you want to keep in touch with news about Greece, why not bookmark our Greece Travel Secrets Blog, where we’ll keep you posted with new links almost every day.
Till the next issue, thanks for reading, and stay safe.
Yammas!
Mike and Donna
The beaches are one of the reasons that we are considering retiring to Greece in the near future. The overall culture is another big reason. Being from the U.S., I crave the depth of culture that has been distilled over millenia.